A Creative Metamorphosis
Elizabeth Page’s Artistic Evolution Takes Center Stage at Hidden in the Hills
Writer Susan Kern-Fleischer // Photography by Loralei Lazurek
For years, Elizabeth Page was known for her vibrant floral oil paintings at the Hidden in the Hills Artist Studio Tour. The classically trained artist had built a reputation for luminous works that captured nature’s vitality. But motherhood changed everything, sparking a dramatic evolution toward contemporary landscapes created through mixed-metal leaf collage.
The risk is paying off. Page’s mixed media collage “Lost Dutchman Copper Skies” graces the cover of this year’s Hidden in the Hills artist directory — a striking work that captures the rugged Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix.
Now in its 29th year, Hidden in the Hills has grown into Arizona’s premier artist studio tour, drawing collectors and art enthusiasts throughout the Desert Foothills. The nonprofit Sonoran Arts League coordinates this expansive cultural event, which unfolds over the final two weekends of November: Nov. 21–23 and Nov. 28–30. Visitors can explore 164 artists across 41 studios throughout Cave Creek, Carefree and North Scottsdale at their own pace — and entirely free of charge.
For art collectors and enthusiasts who return year after year, the four-color, glossy artist directory has become quite a collectible. For participating artists hoping to gain more exposure, being selected as a featured cover artist represents a significant career milestone.
This year’s HITH artist directory also features four diverse artworks on the directory’s back cover: “King of the Desert” by contemporary glass artist Deb Wight; “Sweet Tweets” by oil painter Joye DeGoede; “Queen Valley Aloe” by oil painter Ann-Marie Graves; and “Ocean Whispers,” a sterling silver and 14-karat gold ring by fine jeweler Leonor Pisano that features aquamarine and sapphires.
HITH event co-chair Gail Haire says there were many wonderful submissions for cover art this year, but Page’s mixed media collage stood out to the HITH committee.
“It’s a breathtaking piece and a big departure from the floral oil paintings that Elizabeth had been known for,” says Haire, herself a highly acclaimed oil painter. “The collage combines earth tones with soft, shimmering hues of pink, purple, blue and green. It’s one of those pieces that makes you stop and reflect on the sheer beauty of nature.”
Page’s story of artistic transformation exemplifies why collectors and enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the annual studio tour.
“For many collectors, visiting Hidden in the Hills has become a tradition, not only because they enjoy discovering artists who may be new to the studio tour, but also because many collectors like to follow artists through their careers,” Haire explains. “Collectors appreciate being able to see how an artist’s work evolves, and sometimes a dramatic change in style or medium can be a pivotal point in an artist’s career.”
Nature as Creative Foundation
An Arizona native and Cave Creek resident, Page received her BFA in figurative painting from Arizona State University. She began her career in portraiture and the figure before teaching for several years. When she transitioned into her professional practice, she turned her focus to florals — expansive oil works rooted in her fascination with the vitality of plants and the presence of nature.
“Nature has always been the soul of my work,” Page explains. “I’ve always been drawn to organic shapes and rhythms. In my previous floral work, I was already layering gold and silver leaf with natural, organic shapes, grounding them in earth elements while reaching for something that felt expansive.”
Collectors were drawn to the vibrancy and energy of these works, where repetition and variation created bold, beautiful and dynamic compositions. The introduction of precious metals gave the paintings a living surface, shifting with light and time, and marked the beginning of her ongoing dialogue with materials that reflect presence.
“The first time I used gold leaf was a tiny experiment that never ‘resolved’ — and yet it changed the trajectory of my art,” she recalls.
Page found herself increasingly drawn to landscapes, particularly the desert that shaped her.
“The more I leaned into the expansiveness of nature, the more landscapes called to me,” she says. “My mixed-metal leaf process grew from that call. It’s my way of embodying what I know to be true: We are not separate from nature. We are nature.”
Motherhood’s Creative Catalyst
Falling in love and becoming a mother marked a profound turning point in Page’s life and work. Several years ago, she met her partner, Carlos, a renowned contemporary metal sculptor. In 2024, they welcomed their son, Zack.
“Nature has always been the driving force of my inspiration, but becoming a mother gave me a new capacity — both creatively and energetically,” she shares. “This body of work had been living in me for years, waiting for the space to emerge. Once Zack was born, I felt a boldness and a freedom to explore it fully.”
That shift opened the door to abstraction and landscapes, where Page now works primarily with mixed-metal leaf — gold, silver, copper and brass, layered with oil, paper or shell. Her process is both disciplined and intuitive: tearing fragile metal leaf by hand, surrendering to its unpredictability and shaping it into luminous surfaces that echo the experience of being in nature.
“This process allows me to be meditative and playful,” she says. “It’s about surrendering control, pivoting with the materials and letting the work become what it wants to be. In that letting go, I’ve found both stillness and momentum.”
Her works are not static objects; they are invitations to contemplation. The surfaces shift as light moves, asking the viewer to shift, too.
“Each piece invites you into participation,” she explains. “Like walking through landscape, what you see depends on where you stand, how you move and your capacity to meet yourself in presence. That’s why, for me, beauty is never mere decoration — it’s devotion.”
“Lost Dutchman Copper Skies” was inspired by a hike in the Superstition Mountains years ago — a landscape that continues to resonate with her.
“My process always begins with lived experience,” she explains. “There’s always both a structural composition and an emotional memory. Sometimes I return directly to a place I’ve walked. Other times I revisit a photo I’ve taken — but either way, I wait for one to call me back. That resonance guides the work. It’s never random.”
Studio Collaborations
During Hidden in the Hills, Page will exhibit her new mixed media collages alongside her partner, Carlos, who serves as host of Studio No. 27 in Cave Creek. The studio’s guest artists include photographer Jon Linton, contemporary pastel painter Michael McKee, jeweler Rollande Poirier and ceramic artist Myron Whitaker.
Recently, Page began collaborating with Whitaker by leafing one of his vessels. When she shared a glimpse of the vessel in a private collectors group, the response was immediate and enthusiastic.
“That’s the current of creative energy when it moves without hesitation,” Page recalls. “For me, it’s initiation — trusting desire, following sparks even without knowing where they’ll land. There’s delight in it too, playing with an idea to see where it wants to go.”
This year, she and Whitaker will present collaborative works at Hidden in the Hills.
“As an artist, there’s nothing more exciting than when a spark becomes a turning point,” Page says. “I am so grateful to be on this journey — with Carlos, Zack and the desert itself, each a living force in my transformation.”
29th Annual Hidden in the Hills Artist Studio Tour
Nov. 21–23 and Nov. 28–Nov. 30 // 10 a.m.–5 p.m. // See website for participating studios // Free // hiddeninthehills.org
